JP2011220726A - Drinking condition judging device and drinking driving prevention system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drinking condition judging device which prevents a deceptive act of a driver to be measured and which can accurately judge whether or not the driver is in a drinking condition, and provide a drinking driving prevention system which effectively prevents the driver from driving in the drinking condition.SOLUTION: A drinking driving prevention system 2 comprises: an alcohol sensor 6 for detecting a density of ethanol included in a driver's breath to be measured; exhalation detecting means 7 for detecting a exhalation of the driver's breath into the alcohol sensor 6 on the basis of a temperature change; and density judging means 46 for judging whether or not a density of ethanol included in the breath is equal to a standard value or more on the basis of an output of the alcohol sensor 6 when the exhalation of the breath is detected by the exhalation detecting means 7. Especially, the exhalation detecting means 7 is equipped with a heating coil and a constant current circuit applying a constant current to the heating coil, and detects a decrease of temperature due to the exhalation of the breath on the basis of a change in electric resistance of the heating coil.

Description

  The present invention relates to a drinking level determination device that detects a drinking level by detecting the concentration of ethanol contained in exhaled breath, and a drunk driving prevention system that prevents drunk driving using the drinking level determination device.

  Alcohol contains ethanol (ethyl alcohol), which suppresses neuronal activity in the brain, and alcohol consumption reduces cognitive and situational judgment. Machine operation is prohibited. In particular, since drunk driving can lead to a major accident, each company and business office is conducting exercises and tests to eradicate drunk driving. For example, in a bus company or a transportation company, an inspection by a drinking state determination device (so-called “alcohol checker”) is spontaneously performed before the crew.

  This drinking state determination device is equipped with a breath-spraying alcohol sensor that detects ethanol concentration in breath (equivalent to blood ethanol concentration), and when the detected ethanol concentration reaches a certain amount It is configured so as to be determined as a drinking state (including a drunk state). In addition, the alcohol sensor is configured to include a thin film semiconductor element on the microheater, and when the electrons existing in the semiconductor element are absorbed by ethanol in the breath, the electric resistance in the alcohol sensor changes. It uses the property of doing.

  However, according to the conventional drinking state determination device, even if the breath is not blown, for example, the mouth is closed, the alcohol is not contained in the breath or the concentration of ethanol is extremely low. There was a problem that the change in electrical resistance in the sensor was reduced, and it was determined to be “normal” (not drinking). In other words, there has been a concern that the above-mentioned deception acts.

  In addition, in some companies, in order to make such a cheating act difficult, the inspection situation is photographed with a surveillance camera and stored for a certain period of time, but according to this, the entire apparatus is large-scale. At the same time, there is a risk of damaging the trust relationship between the driver and the manager.

  Therefore, in view of the above situation, the present invention suppresses the subject's cheating action and can accurately determine the drinking level, and the drunk driving prevention that can effectively prevent the drunk driving It is an object to provide a system.

The drinking level determination device of the present invention,
“An alcohol sensor that detects the concentration of ethanol in the exhaled breath of the subject,
A blowing detection means for detecting a change in temperature that occurs when exhalation is blown toward the alcohol sensor, and detecting the blowing of exhalation based on the temperature change;
Concentration determination means for determining whether or not the concentration of ethanol contained in the exhalation is equal to or higher than a reference value based on the output of the alcohol sensor when the exhalation detection is detected by the spray detection means. ''
It is characterized by this.

  Here, the “blowing detection means” may detect a change in the temperature of the detection unit due to the flow of the exhalation when exhalation is blown on the heated object. When exhalation is sprayed on a state or a cooled object, a change in the temperature of the detection unit due to the temperature (body temperature) of the exhalation may be detected. Further, the spray detection means can be configured by using a temperature sensor, but can also be configured by a simple electric circuit using the characteristics of the coil.

  According to the drinking level determination apparatus of the present invention, when the person to be measured blows exhaled toward the alcohol sensor, the temperature of the blowing detecting means changes depending on the generation of the air flow or the temperature of the exhalation. Therefore, in this case, it is determined that exhaled air has been blown, and it is determined based on the output of the alcohol sensor whether or not the ethanol concentration contained in the exhaled gas is equal to or higher than a reference value. On the other hand, if a deception such as closing the air inlet is performed, since the blowing of exhalation is not detected, the determination of the ethanol concentration is not performed, and it is erroneously determined as “normal (no abnormality)” Nothing will happen. That is, since the determination of the drinking level by the alcohol sensor is performed only when exhalation is blown, it is possible to prevent erroneous determination due to cheating.

In the drinking level determination device of the present invention,
“The spray detection means
A conductive heating coil;
A constant current circuit for supplying a constant current to the heating coil;
Voltage detecting means for detecting a voltage applied to the heating coil;
And a voltage determination unit that determines that exhalation is being blown when the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit drops below a reference voltage as the temperature of the heating coil decreases. Also good.

  According to this, the constant current circuit is connected to the heating coil, and the current flowing through the heating coil is kept constant. In addition, when an electric current flows into a heating coil, it will be in the state which the temperature of the heating coil rose and the electrical resistance of the heating coil increased. In this state, when exhalation is blown and an air flow is generated, the temperature of the heating coil is lowered, and the electric resistance of the heating coil is reduced. Therefore, in the present invention, when the voltage applied to the heating coil is detected and this voltage drops below the reference voltage, that is, when the electric resistance of the heating coil becomes smaller than the reference value, exhalation is blown. It is determined that As described above, since it is determined whether or not exhaled air is blown using the characteristic that the electric resistance of the heating coil changes due to temperature change, the structure of the blowing detection means is relatively simple. can do.

The drunk driving prevention system of the present invention,
“Equipped with the above-mentioned drinking level determination device,
A key storage mechanism for storing vehicle keys;
Locking means for locking the key storage mechanism so that the stored key cannot be removed;
When the concentration determination means determines that the concentration of ethanol contained in exhalation is smaller than a reference value, the concentration determination means includes an unlocking control means that unlocks the locking means and enables the key to be taken out.
It is characterized by this.

  Here, the “key storage mechanism” may be a box-shaped storage (so-called “key box”) that can store a plurality of keys, and is a locking unit that can lock keys one by one. May be.

  According to the drunk driving prevention system of the present invention, the key storage mechanism for storing the key of the vehicle is provided with the locking means so that the key cannot be taken out freely. Before the person to be measured drives the vehicle (for example, before riding), the state of drinking is determined. If the ethanol concentration in the exhalation is determined to be lower than the reference value, the locking means is unlocked and the key is locked. It is possible to remove from the key storage mechanism, that is, to drive the vehicle. In other words, since the vehicle key cannot be taken out until it is determined that the ethanol concentration is lower than the reference value, it is possible to obligate the determination of the drinking state before boarding, effectively preventing drunk driving. It becomes possible.

  Thus, according to the present invention, since the determination of the drinking level by the alcohol sensor is performed only when exhalation is blown, it is possible to prevent erroneous determination due to cheating and to accurately determine the drinking level. it can.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a drunk driving prevention system. It is an electric circuit diagram which shows the circuit structure of a spray detection means. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process in a drunk driving prevention system.

  Hereinafter, the drunk driving prevention system 2 which is embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 1, the drunk driving prevention system 2 includes a controller 3. The controller 3 includes a central processing unit (CPU) that performs calculation and control, and a storage device that includes a read-only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM). The controller 3 includes a two-dimensional code reader 4 capable of reading a two-dimensional code, a vein detection means 5 capable of detecting a vein pattern of a person being measured (for example, a crew member), and an ethanol concentration contained in the breath of the person being measured. The alcohol sensor 6 to be detected and the spray detection means 7 for detecting that the breath has been sprayed toward the alcohol sensor 6 are connected, and the processing based on these input devices is a pre-input program. To be done. Further, the locking means 30 and the light emitting display 31 of the key box 8 are connected to the output side of the controller 3, and these can be controlled by the controller 3. Here, what combined the controller 3, the alcohol sensor 6, and the spray detection means 7 is equivalent to the drinking level determination apparatus of this invention.

  Each configuration will be described in detail. The two-dimensional code reader 4 is provided for reading a two-dimensional code 13 (for example, QR code (trademark)) in which an employee code is recorded. The two-dimensional code 13 is printed on the clear cover 11 and can be carried with the driver's license 12 of the person being measured (crew) accommodated in the clear cover 11. Note that the two-dimensional code reader 4 is a well-known one that is commercially available, and detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  The vein detection means 5 irradiates the finger of the hand of the person to be measured with near-infrared light and recognizes a pattern (vein pattern) in which the reduced hemoglobin in the vein in the subcutaneous tissue absorbs the near-infrared and appears black. It is provided with irradiation means (not shown) for irradiating near infrared light. Since this vein pattern varies from person to person, personal authentication (biometric authentication) can be performed by comparing and collating with vein patterns registered in advance.

  The alcohol sensor 6 detects exhaled gas flowing in a blowing tube (not shown), that is, an alcohol component contained in the blown exhaled gas, a thin tin oxide film (not shown) as a semiconductor element, A micro heater (not shown) for heating the tin film to a constant temperature is provided. According to this, it is possible to detect the ethanol concentration contained in exhaled breath by detecting a change in electrical resistance accompanying the oxidation reaction of ethanol.

  The blowing detection means 7 detects that the breath has been blown toward the alcohol sensor 6, that is, that an air flow has occurred in the blowing pipe, based on the temperature change of the heating coil 15. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, a platinum heating coil 15, a constant current circuit 16 that causes a constant current to flow through the heating coil 15, a voltage detection means 17 that detects a voltage applied to the heating coil 15, When the detected voltage drops below the reference voltage as the temperature of the heating coil 15 decreases, voltage determining means 18 is provided for determining that exhalation is being blown. The constant current circuit 16 includes a PNP transistor 19 connected to the heating coil 15, a resistor 20 connected to the emitter of the PNP transistor 19, and an operational amplifier 22 connected to the base of the PNP transistor 19 via a current limiting resistor 21. , And the negative input terminal of the operational amplifier 22 is connected between the PNP transistor 19 and the resistor 20. The voltage detection unit 17 and the voltage determination unit 18 include a comparator 23 and resistors 24 and 25 for applying a constant reference voltage to the + input terminal of the comparator 23, and the − input terminal of the comparator 23 is connected to the PNP transistor 19. And the heating coil 15. That is, when the voltage applied to the heating coil 15 becomes smaller than the reference voltage set by the divided voltages of the resistors 24 and 25, the signal (OUT) output from the comparator 23 is switched from “Lo” to “Hi”. It is configured.

  By the way, the electrical resistance of the heating coil 15 also fluctuates due to changes in the environmental temperature (room temperature). That is, when the room temperature changes, the voltage applied to the heating coil 15 fluctuates. Therefore, in this example, a temperature correction circuit (not shown) is further provided, and the room temperature at that time is estimated based on the voltage applied to the heating coil 15 during standby before the spray inspection is performed, and the estimated temperature The reference voltage is corrected based on this. This makes it possible to make a highly reliable determination.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the key box 8 is a box-shaped storage for storing the keys of a plurality of vehicles, and is provided with locking means 30 so that the keys of the vehicles cannot be taken out without permission. . The configuration of the locking means 30 is not particularly limited, but in this example, an electromagnet (not shown) is incorporated as a mechanism for locking the opening / closing lid of the key box 8, and the electromagnetic force and adsorption force of the electromagnet. It is possible to lock and unlock the open / close lid by operating the eaves member (not shown) by using.

  A light emitting display 31 is erected on the upper surface of the key box 8. The light emitting display 31 includes a green light emitting unit 32, a yellow light emitting unit 33, a purple light emitting unit 34, and a red light emitting unit 35, which are stacked in order from the lower side. By selectively causing one light emitting unit to emit light, ethanol is emitted. It is possible to emit light of a color corresponding to the density. Although not shown, the key box 8 is also provided with a sound generating means, and can generate different sounds corresponding to the ethanol concentration. Here, the key box 8 corresponds to the key storage mechanism of the present invention.

  Incidentally, a database 40 is constructed in the controller 3. The database 40 stores an employee code 41, a crew member vein pattern 42 registered in advance, and driver information 43 such as a crew member's name. The vein pattern 42 and the driver information 43 are stored in association with the employee code 41, and the crew member's vein pattern 42 and driver information 43 can be specified based on the employee code 41. Yes.

  Further, the controller 3 includes an employee code collating unit 44, a vein pattern collating unit 45, and a concentration determining unit 46 as functional configurations. The employee code collating means 44 reads out the employee code from the two-dimensional code 13 by the two-dimensional code reader 4, and whether the read employee code matches any employee code 41 stored in the database 40. Is determined. The vein pattern matching unit 45 reads the vein pattern 42 (registered pattern) corresponding to the employee code from the database 40 and the read vein pattern 42 (registered pattern) is detected by the vein detecting unit 5. Detection pattern).

  The concentration determination means 46 is executed only when the vein patterns match by the vein pattern matching means 45 and the blowing detection means 7 detects the breath blowing, and is based on the output of the alcohol sensor 6. The concentration of ethanol contained in exhaled breath is detected, and when the ethanol concentration is a reference value (for example, 0.15 mg) or more, it is determined that the person is drinking.

  Further, the controller 3 is provided with unlocking control means 47 and level notification control means 48. The unlocking control means 47 unlocks the locking means 30 (for example, energizes the electromagnet) to enable the key to be taken out when the ethanol concentration in the exhalation is less than the reference value (0.15 mg). Note that a plurality of keys are stored in the key box 8, but keys corresponding to other crew members can be taken out in the presence of the manager or by the manager. Can be prevented from being taken out by the person being measured.

  Further, the level notification control means 48 causes the light emitting display 31 to emit light according to the detected ethanol concentration. Specifically, when the ethanol concentration is 0.04 mg or less, the green light emitting unit 32 is lit, and when the ethanol concentration is 0.05 to 0.14 mg, the yellow light emitting unit 33 is lit, and 0.15 to 0. In the case of 24 mg, the purple light emitting unit 34 is turned on, and in the case of 0.25 mg or more, the red light emitting unit 35 is turned on. In addition, the level notification control means 48 is configured to generate a sound corresponding to the detected ethanol concentration simultaneously with the light emission of the light emitting display 31.

  Next, the flow of processing in the controller 3 will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. First, the driver's license 12 is guided by voice or a display screen so as to be placed in a predetermined position while being accommodated in the clear cover 11 (step S1), and the employee code is obtained from the two-dimensional code 13 printed on the clear cover 11. Is read (step S2). Thereafter, the read employee code is collated with the employee code 41 registered in the database 40. If they match (YES in step S3), the vein detection means 5 is instructed to place a finger (step S4). ). Thereafter, the vein pattern of the measured person is detected (step S5), and the detected vein pattern is collated with the vein pattern 42 registered in advance in the database 40, that is, the vein pattern 42 corresponding to the employee code of the measured person ( Step S6). If the two vein patterns match (YES in step S6), a drinking state determination process is performed.

  In the determination process of the drinking level, first, the person to be measured is guided to breathe (step S7), and the timer T is started (step S8). Thereafter, when the blowing detection means 7 detects the blowing of exhalation (YES in step S9), the alcohol concentration is measured by the alcohol sensor 6 (step S10). If the measured ethanol concentration is less than the reference value (YES in step S11), it is determined that it is not in a drinking state, and the locking means 30 of the key box 8 is unlocked (step S12) and the ethanol concentration is adjusted. The corresponding light emitting unit (green light emitting unit 32 or yellow light emitting unit 33) is turned on (step S13). On the other hand, if the ethanol concentration is equal to or higher than the reference value in step S11 (NO), step S12 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S13, where the light emitting unit (purple light emitting unit 34 or red light emitting unit 35) according to the ethanol concentration. Lights up.

  In addition, when blowing of expiration is not detected even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the timer T was started (NO in step S9, YES in step S14), it is determined to be in an abnormal state (that is, an unmeasurable state), This is notified (step S15). If the read employee code does not match the registered employee code 41 in step S3 (NO), the process proceeds to step S15 to notify the abnormal state. Also, if the detected vein pattern does not match the vein pattern 42 corresponding to the employee code in step S6 (NO), the process proceeds to step S15 to notify the abnormal state.

  Thus, according to the drunk driving prevention system 2 of the present example, the alcohol sensor 6 determines the drinking state only when exhalation is blown, so that an error due to cheating action such as closing the insufflation port is performed. Judgment can be prevented. That is, it becomes possible to accurately determine the drinking level.

  In particular, since it is determined whether or not exhaled air is blown using the characteristic that the electric resistance of the heating coil 15 changes due to a temperature change, the structure of the blowing detection means 7 is relatively simple. can do.

  In addition, according to the drunk driving prevention system 2 of this example, the vehicle key cannot be taken out until it is determined that the ethanol concentration is lower than the reference value, so that the determination of the ethanol concentration can be obliged before the crew. It can effectively prevent drunk driving.

  In addition, according to the drunk driving prevention system 2 of this example, since the two-dimensional code 13 indicating the employee code is printed on the clear cover 11 that accommodates the driver's license 12, the driver's license 12 is carried before riding. Can be confirmed, and therefore it is possible to prevent a breach of the driver's license 12 from being carried away.

  In addition, according to the drunk driving prevention system 2 of this example, since the biometric authentication is performed by the vein pattern and it is confirmed that the person is the person, the drinking state can be determined. Therefore, the measurement impersonating another person is possible. Can be prevented.

  Furthermore, according to the drunk driving prevention system 2 of the present example, the light emitting display 31 and the sound generating means are provided in the key box 8 and are notified by the luminescent color and sound corresponding to the ethanol concentration. Instead, the level of drinking can be easily grasped. For this reason, for example, even if the ethanol concentration is a low level that does not correspond to alcohol, if the breath contains ethanol, safety measures such as refraining from driving the vehicle can be taken. It is possible to reliably prevent operation under the influence of.

  The present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as described below. And design changes are possible.

  That is, in the above embodiment, the key storage mechanism is provided with the key box 8 that can accommodate a plurality of keys, and the lock means 30 is configured so that the key cannot be taken out from the key box 8. However, when it is determined that the person is not in a drinking state, only the locking means corresponding to the person to be measured may be unlocked. According to this, since it becomes impossible to take out another person's key, even if it does not provide an administrator, an illegal act can be prevented.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, when the detected ethanol density | concentration is smaller than a reference value, what showed the locking means 30 of the key box 8 unlocked was shown, but the test record in which the determination result of the drinking state was described is printed. You may make it do. In this case, if the administrator hands over the key to the person to be measured after confirming the inspection record, the key can be managed based on the determination result of the drinking level.

  Moreover, the determination result of the drinking level may be stored in the database 40 of the controller 3. Moreover, while installing the drunk driving prevention system 2 in each office, the determination result of the drinking state determined by each drunk driving prevention system 2 or the determination result stored in the database 40 is sent to a communication network such as a LAN. Via the host computer at the head office. Furthermore, the drinking level determination device may be configured to be portable, and the determination result obtained by the drinking level determination device may be transmitted to a company or office computer via a communication means. According to this, even in a long-distance driver or the like, a crew member who is far away can determine the drinking state before the crew, and the result can be managed centrally by the company or the like.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the one that performs personal authentication (biometric authentication) by detecting a vein pattern is shown. However, a well-known biometric authentication that detects a fingerprint, an iris in a pupil, a voiceprint, a facial shape, or the like. It is also possible to use.

2 Drunken driving prevention system 6 Alcohol sensor (drinking state determination device)
7 Spraying detection means (drinking state determination device)
8 Key box (key storage mechanism)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Heating coil 16 Constant current circuit 17 Voltage detection means 18 Voltage determination means 30 Locking means 46 Concentration determination means (drinking state determination apparatus)
47 Unlocking control means

JP 2004-305494 A

Claims (3)

An alcohol sensor that detects the concentration of ethanol contained in the breath of the person being measured;
A blowing detection means for detecting a change in temperature that occurs when exhalation is blown toward the alcohol sensor, and detecting the blowing of exhalation based on the temperature change;
Concentration detection means for determining whether or not the concentration of ethanol contained in exhalation is equal to or higher than a reference value based on the output of the alcohol sensor when the blowing detection means detects the exhalation of exhalation. A drinking state determination device. The spray detection means includes
A conductive heating coil;
A constant current circuit for supplying a constant current to the heating coil;
Voltage detecting means for detecting a voltage applied to the heating coil;
And a voltage determination unit that determines that exhalation is blown when the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit drops below a reference voltage as the temperature of the heating coil decreases. Item 2. The drinking level determination apparatus according to Item 1. The drinking level determination apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2,
further,
A key storage mechanism for storing vehicle keys;
Locking means for locking the key storage mechanism so that the stored key cannot be removed;
And an unlocking control unit that unlocks the locking unit and enables the key to be taken out when the concentration determining unit determines that the concentration of ethanol contained in the exhalation is smaller than a reference value. A drunk driving prevention system.

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