JP2011068147A - On-vehicle device control system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inhibit any input operation to an on-vehicle device from a driver when a vehicle is running. <P>SOLUTION: When a user of a vehicle is seated on a seat 4 while carrying an identification card-key 2, the human communications are carried out between a receiver 5 and the identification card-key 2. As a result, a seat manager unit 10 manages who has been seated on what seat. A navigation device 21 has its input unit 22 equipped with a receiver unit 23 for the human communications. When the user operates the input unit 22, the communications are carried out between the identification card-key 2 and the receiver unit 23, thereby to specify who the operator is. While the vehicle is running and in case the input operator is the person (the driver) seated on the driver's seat, an input inhibition unit 25 invalidates the input operation to inhibit the input operation from the driver in the running state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle device control system for controlling an in-vehicle device, and more particularly to an in-vehicle device control system for prohibiting an input from a driver to an in-vehicle device when the vehicle is traveling.

  In recent years, in-vehicle devices such as navigation devices have been installed in vehicles. The navigation device has various functions such as receiving a destination setting from the user, performing route search and route guidance, searching for nearby stores and presenting information to the user, and the like. Since the input operation for such a navigation device is complicated, there is a danger if the driver performs the input operation while traveling. Therefore, it is desirable to prohibit such a complicated input operation from the driver while the vehicle is traveling. On the other hand, it is desirable to allow input from a passenger because it does not hinder driving even if operated by a passenger other than the driver.

As described above, several techniques for prohibiting an input operation from the driver have been proposed. In Patent Literature 1, displays provided with input means are prepared on the driver's seat side and the passenger seat side, respectively, and operation keys for performing complicated input operations are not displayed on the driver's seat side display when traveling. It is disclosed. In Patent Document 2, when the driver's line of sight is detected using a camera for line-of-sight recognition and the driver's line of sight is not directed toward the in-vehicle device (that is, the driver is looking forward, If the driver is a passenger), allow the input operation, and prohibit the input operation when the driver's line of sight is facing the vehicle equipment (that is, when the driver is operating) Is disclosed.
JP 2007-45168 A JP 2006-205938 A JP 2007-189309 A JP 2001-77735 A

  As in Patent Document 1, the method of using a plurality of displays results in an increase in cost. In the method of determining permission / prohibition of input by line of sight as in Patent Document 2, the driver can perform an input operation without looking at the operation screen. In this case, even if the line of sight is facing forward, since the consciousness is concentrated on the input operation, there is no change in driving.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a novel technique for prohibiting an input operation from a driver during traveling.

In order to solve the above problems, an in-vehicle device control system according to the present invention includes:
An in-vehicle device control system for prohibiting an input from a driver to an in-vehicle device when the vehicle is running,
A portable device comprising: information storage means storing identification information for identifying the holder; and transmission means for transmitting the identification information;
First receiving means installed in each of a plurality of seats including a driver's seat, for receiving identification information transmitted from the transmitting means of the portable device;
In-vehicle device comprising: operating means operated by a user; and second receiving means for receiving identification information transmitted from the transmitting means of the portable device;
Traveling state detecting means for detecting the traveling state of the vehicle;
An input prohibiting means for prohibiting an input operation to the operating means from the driver when the traveling state detecting means determines that the vehicle is traveling;
Have
The transmitting means and the first and second receiving means communicate by human body communication,
The input prohibiting means identifies the user based on the identification information received by the first receiving means and acquires the seat position, and performs the operation based on the identification information received by the second receiving means. A user who operates the means is identified, and when the user who operates the operation means is seated in a driver's seat, it is determined that the user is a driver, and an input operation to the operation means is prohibited. And

Moreover, the in-vehicle device control system according to the present invention includes:
An in-vehicle device control system for prohibiting an input from a driver to an in-vehicle device when the vehicle is running,
A portable device comprising: information storage means storing identification information for identifying the holder; and transmission means for transmitting the identification information;
First receiving means for receiving identification information transmitted from the transmitting means of the portable device, each installed at a location corresponding to the driver's seat;
In-vehicle device comprising: operating means operated by a user; and second receiving means for receiving identification information transmitted from the transmitting means of the portable device;
Input prohibiting means for prohibiting an input operation to the operating means from the driver when the vehicle is running;
Have
The transmitting means and the first and second receiving means communicate by human body communication,
The input prohibiting means identifies a user based on the identification information received by the first receiving means, and identifies a user who operates the operating means based on the identification information received by the second receiving means. If the user operating the operating means is the same as the user identified based on the identification information received by the first receiving means, the user is determined to be a driver, and the operation The input operation to the means is prohibited.

  In the in-vehicle device control system according to the present invention, it is preferable that the first receiving means is installed at a place in the vehicle where the user's human body naturally comes into contact when sitting or driving.

  In the in-vehicle device control system according to the present invention, it is preferable that the first receiving unit is installed in any one of a seat, a steering, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and an engine start button.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to prohibit the input operation to the vehicle equipment from a driver | operator during driving | running | working.

  Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
<Constitution>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of an in-vehicle device control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Personal authentication is performed by communication between the authentication card key 2 possessed by the passenger 1 and the receiver 5 provided in the seat 4, and the seat management unit 10 determines which user is seated in which seat. The navigation device 21 is also provided with a receiving unit 23, which communicates between the authentication card key 2 possessed by the user who operates the navigation device 21 and the receiving unit 23 for personal authentication, so that any user can Determine if you are operating. When the vehicle is traveling and the operator is a person sitting in the driver's seat (driver), the input operation is prohibited.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the authentication card key 2. The authentication card key 2 includes a transmission unit 201, an identification information storage unit 202, and a power supply unit 203. The identification information storage unit 202 stores an authentication code (ID) unique to each authentication card key. This authentication code corresponds to the identification information of the present invention. The transmission unit 201 receives power supply from the power supply unit 203, reads out the authentication code from the identification information storage unit 202, and transmits it. Communication between the authentication card key 202 and the receiver 5 / receiver 23 is performed by human body communication.

  Receivers 5 a to 5 d are installed in the seats 4 a to 4 d of the vehicle 3. The authentication card key 2 and the receiver 5 communicate by human body communication using the human body as a communication medium. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating communication by human body communication. In this embodiment, human body communication is realized by utilizing a change in the surface electric field of the human body (see Patent Document 3). The human body surface electric field is changed by applying a voltage to the human body from the transmitting unit 201 of the authentication card key 2. The receiver 5 incorporates a photonic electric field sensor, which amplifies a change in the surface electric field of the human body and reads a signal. It is preferable that the receiver 5 is installed on the seat surface of the seat 4 so that communication can be performed regardless of the posture of the passenger 1 when the passenger 1 is seated on the seat 4.

  In the case of the communication method using the surface electric field as described above, it is not necessary to contact the authentication card key 2 and the human body surface if the distance is sufficiently close. Therefore, as a form in which the passenger 1 possesses the authentication card key, a form such as putting it in a pocket, putting it on a neck with a neck strap, or wearing it on an arm or a finger as a bracelet or a ring-like device can be adopted. .

The seat management unit 10 is a computer (information processing apparatus) as hardware, and its function is realized by executing a program. The seat management unit 10 may be configured as an ECU (Electronic Controller Unit) that is a microcomputer unit that controls in-vehicle devices. The seat management unit 10 may be configured as a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a main storage device such as a RAM, and an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Device).

  The seat management unit 10 includes a personal authentication unit 12 and a seat recognition unit 13 as functional units. The personal authentication unit 12 acquires the authentication code of the authentication card key 2 possessed by the passenger 1 seated in the seat 4 via the receiver 5 and the communication unit 11 and identifies the passenger 1 seated in the seat 4. . The seat recognition unit 13 recognizes which of the seats 4a to 4d the passenger 1 to be recognized is seated on. This can be recognized by determining which of the receivers 5a to 5d has transmitted the authentication code. In this way, the seat management unit 10 manages who sits in which seat. Specifically, it is managed that the user A is seated in the driver's seat and the user B is seated in the passenger seat.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the navigation device 21. The navigation device 21 includes an input unit 22, a receiving unit 23, a personal recognition unit 24, an input prohibition unit 25, and the like. The navigation device 21 also includes a control unit (not shown) that performs route search, guidance, and music playback, and a display unit (not shown) that displays route search results and instructions to the user.

The input unit 22 includes operation buttons and a touch panel, and receives an input operation from the user. The receiving unit 23 is installed in the navigation device 21 so as to enable human body communication with a user touching the input unit 22. The personal recognition unit 24 acquires the authentication code of the authentication card key 2 and identifies the user who touched the input unit 22. The input prohibition unit 25 prohibits an operation from the driver when the vehicle is traveling. Whether or not the vehicle is traveling can be determined by acquiring the vehicle speed from a vehicle speed sensor (not shown) or the like. The input prohibition unit 25 obtains from the seat management unit 10 which seat the user who has performed the input operation on the input unit 22 is sitting on. When the driver performs the input operation, the input operation is not performed. The invalidity is displayed on the display unit. On the other hand, when the user who performed the input operation is a person other than the driver, the input operation is accepted as valid, and the control unit performs processing corresponding thereto.

<Operation example>
Next, the control flow of the in-vehicle device control system will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, the user sits on the seat 4 with the authentication card key 2 (S10). When the passenger 1 is seated, communication is performed between the authentication card key 2 and the receiver 5, and an authentication code is transmitted from the authentication card key 2 to the receiver 5. The personal authentication unit 12 acquires this authentication code from the receiver 5 and specifies who the seated user is (personal authentication) (S11). In addition, the seat recognition unit 13 acquires which of the seats 4a to 4d the recognized user is sitting on (S13). The determination as to which seat is seated can be made according to which of the receivers 5a to 5d the authentication code is acquired from the authentication card key 2. The seat management unit 10 manages who is seated in which seat by performing the processes of S10 to S12 each time the user is seated in the seat.

  Next, the user operates the input unit 22 of the navigation device 21 while holding the authentication card key 2 (S13). Since the user's human body (fingertip) touches the input unit 22 during the input operation, communication is performed between the authentication card key 2 and the receiving unit 23 of the navigation device 21 by human body communication. The personal authentication unit 24 of the navigation device 21 acquires an authentication code via the receiving unit 23 and performs personal authentication (S14). That is, the personal authentication unit 24 identifies who the operator is.

  The input prohibition unit 25 acquires from the seat management unit 10 which seat the user who performed the input operation is sitting on (S15). Then, the input prohibition unit 25 determines whether the vehicle is traveling and the user who has performed the input operation is seated in the driver's seat (S16). When both conditions are satisfied (S16-YES), the input prohibition unit 25 does not accept the input to the navigation device 21 as invalid (S17). On the other hand, when the vehicle is not traveling or the operator is not the driver (S16-NO), the input prohibition unit 25 accepts the input to the navigation device 21 as valid.

<Action and effect>
As described above, by using the human body communication and the authentication card key, it is possible to surely prohibit the operation by the driver while traveling by determining which seated user is inputting to the navigation device 21. At the same time, an operation from a user sitting in the passenger seat is accepted.

  Since communication is performed between the authentication card key 2 and the receiver 5 via human body communication, the passenger 1 can carry out personal authentication simply by carrying the authentication card key 2 and sitting on the seat 4. Further, since the authentication card key 2 and the receiving unit 23 of the navigation device 21 communicate with each other via human body communication, the user can perform communication only by operating the input unit 22. That is, since there is no trouble of inserting the authentication card key 2 into a predetermined position or bringing it into contact, the user does not need to be aware that communication is performed, and the user is not burdened.

  In particular, when using human body surface electric field type human body communication, it is not necessary to bring the human body surface close to the communication device and it is not necessary to make contact, so even if the user is wearing gloves, the input unit 22 is touched. Communication is possible.

<Modification>
In the above description, the authentication card key 2 is used as the authentication device, but the authentication card key is an example of the authentication device. The authentication device may have a shape other than the card type, or may be built in another portable device (such as a mobile phone or a PDA).

  In the above description, the receiver 5 is installed on the seat surface of the seat 4, but if the user is seated on the seat and can communicate with the authentication card key 2, the installation location is It is not necessary to limit the seat surface. In particular, when the user is a driver, the receiver 5 may be installed in a place where the human body naturally comes into contact with the driving operation. Examples of the installation location of the receiver 5 include a seat back portion, a headrest, and a floor surface in addition to the seat surface of the seat. In addition to these, the driver's seat may be installed on a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, an engine start button, or the like.

  The authentication card key 2 and the receiver 5 do not always need to be in a communicable state, and may be in a communicable state at any stage where the user sits on the seat or performs a driving operation. . This is because it is sufficient to identify the user once.

  In addition to human body communication using the human body surface electric field communication system, human body communication using a change in current flowing through the body may be used (see Patent Document 4). In this case, it is necessary to pass a current by bringing the electrodes of the transceiver into contact with the human body.

  Moreover, the flowchart of FIG. 5 is an example of processing, and the processing order may be changed within a possible range. For example, since all input operations are permitted when the vehicle is not traveling, the input operations may be permitted without performing the processes of steps S13 to S16.

  In the above description, the input prohibition unit 25 is provided in the navigation device 21 and the seat management unit 10 is configured as a separate computer. However, all functions may be provided in the navigation device 21. In addition, the computer that is different from the navigation device 21 may perform identification of a user who performs an input operation, determination of a seat position, and the like. That is, it is possible to appropriately design which computer implements each functional unit.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the receiver 5 is provided for each of a plurality of seats so that it is possible to determine which seat all users are seated in. Among the input operations to the navigation device 21 during traveling, Such a configuration is not essential if only the input operation from the driver is prohibited.

  In this embodiment, the receiver 5 is installed only on the driver's seat. In addition to the seating surface of the driver seat, the receiver 5 may be installed anywhere as long as the driver's human body naturally contacts when seated, such as a steering wheel or various pedals, or when driving.

When the user identified by the personal recognition unit 24 is the same as the user identified via the receiver 5 installed in the driver's seat, the input prohibition unit 25 is operated by the user who performed the input operation. An input operation is prohibited by determining that the user is a person. On the other hand, if the user identified by the personal identification unit 24 is not the same as the user identified via the receiver 5 installed in the driver's seat, which seat the user is specifically seated on Without being specified, an input operation by the user is permitted even during traveling.

It is a figure showing the system configuration of the in-vehicle device control system concerning this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the function structure of an authentication card key. It is a figure explaining human body communication typically. It is a figure which shows the function structure of a seat management part. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of vehicle equipment control in this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Passenger 2 Authentication card key 3 Vehicle 4 Seat 5 Receiver 10 Seat management part 11 Communication part 12 Personal authentication part 13 Seat recognition part 21 Navigation apparatus 22 Input part 23 Reception part 24 Personal recognition part 25 Input prohibition part

Claims (4)

An in-vehicle device control system for prohibiting an input from a driver to an in-vehicle device when the vehicle is running,
A portable device comprising: information storage means storing identification information for identifying the holder; and transmission means for transmitting the identification information;
First receiving means for receiving identification information transmitted from the transmitting means of the portable device, each installed at a location corresponding to a plurality of seats including a driver's seat;
In-vehicle device comprising: operating means operated by a user; and second receiving means for receiving identification information transmitted from the transmitting means of the portable device;
Input prohibiting means for prohibiting an input operation to the operating means from the driver when the vehicle is running;
Have
The transmitting means and the first and second receiving means communicate by human body communication,
The input prohibiting means identifies the user based on the identification information received by the first receiving means and acquires the seat position, and performs the operation based on the identification information received by the second receiving means. A user who operates the means is identified, and when the user who operates the operation means is seated in a driver's seat, it is determined that the user is a driver, and an input operation to the operation means is prohibited. In-vehicle device control system. An in-vehicle device control system for prohibiting an input from a driver to an in-vehicle device when the vehicle is running,
A portable device comprising: information storage means storing identification information for identifying the holder; and transmission means for transmitting the identification information;
A first receiving unit installed in a driver's seat for receiving identification information transmitted from the transmitting unit of the portable device;
In-vehicle device comprising: operating means operated by a user; and second receiving means for receiving identification information transmitted from the transmitting means of the portable device;
Input prohibiting means for prohibiting an input operation to the operating means from the driver when the vehicle is running;
Have
The transmitting means and the first and second receiving means communicate by human body communication,
The input prohibiting means identifies a user based on the identification information received by the first receiving means, and identifies a user who operates the operating means based on the identification information received by the second receiving means. If the user operating the operating means is the same as the user identified based on the identification information received by the first receiving means, the user is determined to be a driver, and the operating means An in-vehicle device control system characterized by prohibiting an input operation to the. The in-vehicle device control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first receiving unit is installed at a place in the vehicle where the user's human body naturally comes into contact when sitting or driving. The in-vehicle device control system according to claim 1, wherein the first receiving unit is installed in any one of a seat, a steering, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and an engine start button.

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