JPS6364852A - Control device for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent driving by a person having no license by providing a photoelectric converting means for optically reading the license number, etc. of a license, comparing recognized letters which are recognized by processing the resultant signal with a stored information, and closing a starter circuit when both agreed. CONSTITUTION:When a license is inserted into a photoelectric converting means 1, the photoelectric converting means 1 reads it and sends a signal to a preparation means 7. The preparation means 7 extracts the characteristics of letters from a letter image which is sent as a signal and, then, a distinction means 8 estimates the resemblance to a standard pattern and distinguishes the letters. And, the letters are compared with a license number stored in a memory 13 by a processing means 9 and, when both agreed, an agreement signal is outputted to a starter control circuit 11 to close a starter circuit 12. Accordingly, only a person having a license which is previously registered can start an engine, preventing driving by a person having no license.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a control device for a motor vehicle that allows only those with a proper license to drive the vehicle.

[Conventional technology] Driving a car requires appropriate skill, knowledge, and ability, and the Road Traffic Act also requires a license system for driving a car, and only those who have a proper license and carry a license can drive a car. is allowed to drive.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] However, unlicensed persons who do not have proper driving ability may drive a car and cause an accident, resulting in injury to good drivers and passersby. There was a problem. Furthermore, if the car is stolen, there is also the problem that the car can be easily driven away by someone else.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and allows only those with a proper license to drive, thereby preventing unlicensed driving and car theft. It provides a control device for an automobile, and is configured as follows.

That is, as shown in the overall configuration diagram of FIG. 1, the vehicle control device of the present invention optically reads at least the license number from the driver's license 2 installed and inserted into the vehicle and outputs an electrical signal. A photoelectric conversion means 1 that converts the character image into a character image sent as an electric signal from the photoelectric conversion means 1, and preprocessing that performs line element direction extraction, size normalization, sampling processing, etc. to extract features necessary for recognition. means 7; an identification means 8 for identifying characters by evaluating the similarity between the preprocessing pattern of the character image sent from the preprocessing means 7 and a standard pattern of characters stored in advance in the standard pattern storage unit 10;
A processing means 9 which compares the recognized characters recognized by the identification process with the license number etc. stored in advance in the memory 13 and outputs a matching signal when they match; It is composed of a starter control circuit 11 that closes a starter circuit 12.

[Function] Therefore, the driver of the car first stores the license number @ etc. of his/her license in advance in the memory 13, and when driving the car, inserts the license into the photoelectric conversion means 1 provided in the car. do. Then, the photoelectric conversion means 1 reads the license number, etc., converts it into an electrical signal, and sends the electrical signal to the preprocessing means 7 of the recognition section. The preprocessing means 7 performs line element direction extraction, size normalization, sampling processing, etc. from the character image sent as an electric signal, extracts features, creates a preprocessing pattern, and sends this to the identification means 8. The identification means 8 evaluates the similarity between this preprocessed pattern and a standard pattern of characters to identify the characters. The processing means compares the recognized characters recognized by the identification process with the license number and the like stored in the memory 13, and outputs a match signal to the starter control circuit 11 when they match. When the starter control circuit 11 receives the coincidence signal, it operates to close the starter circuit 12, and when the driver turns the key switch, the starter starts and the engine starts.

In this way, only those with a pre-registered license can start the engine, which prevents unlicensed people from driving the car and also prevents theft of the car.

[Example] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a photoelectric conversion means consisting of a sensor section 3 and an A/D converter 5, which is installed near the driver's seat of a car as shown in FIG. It reads and converts it into an electrical signal (digital signal) and outputs it. The sensor unit 3 has a lens and an image sensor 4 inside the case.
The license number of the license inserted into the fixed position from the insertion slot is reflected on the image sensor 4, and the character image is converted into an electric signal. As the image sensor 4, a one-dimensional image sensor such as a CCD line sensor or an area sensor can be used. The license number listed on a driver's license is a number given only to the licensee, and is printed in Arabic numerals in a specific text font in a specific column of the license, so it is a relatively easy process. I can recognize the letters or numbers. For this reason, the license number in the information on the driver's license is read.

The signal output from the image sensor 4 is sent to the A/D converter 5.
The signal is sent to the computer, converted into a digital signal, and sent to the next recognition unit.

The recognition unit 6 includes a preprocessing means 7, an identification means 8, a processing means 9,
Standard pattern storage section 10. The preprocessing means 7 inputs the character image signal sent from the A/D converter 5 of the photoelectric conversion means 1, and performs preprocessing to extract the features necessary for recognition. Performs direction extraction, size normalization, sampling processing, etc. to create a preprocessing pattern for character images. The standard pattern storage unit 10 stores a character image erased in advance, that is, a standard pattern of a specific character font used in the license number written on the driver's license. The identifying means 8 is configured to evaluate the similarity between the preprocessing pattern created by the preprocessing means 7 and the standard pattern stored in the standard pattern storage section 10, and to identify the input character pattern.

The processing means 9 is composed of, for example, a microprocessor,
In addition to performing the above character recognition process, the recognized characters,
In other words, the read license number and the preset settings are registered in memory 1.
3, and when the numbers match, a match signal is output to the starter control circuit 11. The starter control circuit 11 is provided with a relay, and has a structure in which the relay is energized when a coincidence signal is input. 12
2 is a starter circuit of an automobile, and as shown in FIG. 2, a contact X of a key switch S1 relay and a starter motor M are connected to a circuit that is a battery Be power source.

Next, to explain the operation of the device having the above configuration, the driver of the automobile first stores the license number of his/her license in the memory 13 in advance using an input means (not shown) such as a numeric keypad. When driving a car, the driver inserts the driver's license 2 into a sensor section 3 provided near the driver's seat. Then, in the sensor section 3, the license number part of the driver's license is projected onto the image sensor 4, and the character image of that number is output as an electrical signal, which is sent to the A/D converter 5 and converted into a digital signal. Ru. The character image signal is sent from the A/D converter 5 to the preprocessing means 7, and the preprocessing means 7 performs line element direction extraction, size normalization, sampling processing, etc. from the input character image to perform character recognition. Extract the features necessary for the process and create a preprocessing pattern. Then, in the identification means 8, the above! 2! The similarity between the character pattern and a standard pattern of a specific character font (font of numbers used in the license number) stored in advance in the standard pattern storage unit 10 is evaluated, and the input character image, that is, the license number is evaluated. is Hatted.

Further, the processing means 9 compares the license number recognized as described above with the license number previously stored in the memory 13, and if the numbers match, outputs a match signal to the starter control circuit 11. In the starter control circuit 11, the relay is energized by the input of the coincidence signal, and the contact X of the starter circuit 12 is turned on, so that when the key switch S is turned, the starter motor M is activated and the engine is started.

On the other hand, if the driver's license is not inserted into the sensor section, or if it is not the correct driver's license even if it is inserted, the processing means 9 will not output a matching signal and the relay contact X will not be turned on, so turn the key switch. The starter will not start and the engine will not start.

In this way, only those who have a proper license with their license number registered in advance can drive the car, and driving without a license is prevented.

In addition, the driver's license must include the address, name, date of birth, and
Since the expiration date and other information are written on the license, it is possible to read these characters and determine whether or not the license is valid. For example, if you read the expiration date of a license and set up a calendar clock inside the device, when the license expiration date expires,
The driver's license will be treated as an invalid license and the driver will no longer be able to drive, thereby preventing unauthorized driving due to an expired license.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the automobile control device of the present invention, only a person who has a license that has been set and registered in advance can start the automobile engine. It is possible to prevent traffic accidents that may occur when a person drives a car, and it is also possible to prevent driving without a driver's license. Further, if the car is likely to be stolen, the engine cannot be started by anyone who does not have a proper driver's license, thereby preventing theft.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the device, FIG. 2 is a connection diagram of a starter circuit, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the driver's seat of an automobile. 1... Photoelectric conversion means 2... Driver's license 7... Pre-processing means 8... Identification means 9... Processing means 10... Standard pattern storage section 11... Starter control circuit 12...・Starter circuit 13...memory

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A photoelectric conversion means installed in the interior of an automobile that optically reads at least the license number from an inserted license and converts it into an electrical signal; and a character sent from the photoelectric conversion means as an electrical signal. a preprocessing means for extracting features necessary for recognition by performing line element direction extraction, size normalization, sampling processing, etc. from the image; and a preprocessing pattern of the character image sent from the preprocessing means and a standard pattern in advance. An identification means that identifies characters by evaluating their similarity to a standard pattern of characters stored in the memory, and an identification means that compares the recognized characters recognized by the identification process with the license number, etc. stored in the memory in advance, and finds a match. 1. A control device for an automobile, comprising: processing means for outputting a coincidence signal when the coincidence signal is output from the processing means; and a starter control circuit for closing a starter circuit of the automobile when the coincidence signal output from the processing means is input.