ANTI-DRUNK DRIVING APPARATUS FOR VEHICLE

• US 20090090577A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ueda, Shinsuke, Takahashi, Akio
• Granted Patent: US 7,891,456 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/272
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/063 preventing starting of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/24 Drug level, e.g. alcohol
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4972 Determining alcohol content for vehicle safety devices B60K28/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/59 inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification

Abstract

An anti-drunk driving apparatus for a vehicle including: an alcohol drinking determination device which determines whether or not a first person seated in a driver'"'"'s seat is drunk; a driving restriction device which restricts driving of the vehicle in a case where it is determined that the first person seated in the driver'"'"'s seat is drunk by the alcohol drinking determination device; a driving intention presumption device which presumes whether or not a second person seated in the driver'"'"'s seat has an intention to drive; a photograph device which photographs the faces of the first and second persons; and a person identification device which determines whether or not the first and second persons are the same by comparing their faces in images, wherein if it is determined that the first and the second persons are not the same, the driving restriction device restricts driving of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An anti-drunk driving apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

an alcohol drinking determination device which determines whether or not a first person seated in a driver'"'"'s seat is drunk;

a driving restriction device which restricts driving of the vehicle in a case where it is determined that the first person seated in the driver'"'"'s seat is drunk by the alcohol drinking determination device;

a driving intention presumption device which presumes whether or not a second person seated in the driver'"'"'s seat has an intention to drive;

a photograph device which photographs the face of the first person seated in the driver'"'"'s seat, and the face of the second person seated in the driver'"'"'s seat; and

a person identification device which compares an image of the face of the first person seated in the driver'"'"'s seat and an image of the face of the second person seated in the driver'"'"'s seat, and thereby determines whether or not the first person seated in the driver'"'"'s seat and the second person seated in the driver'"'"'s seat are the same, wherein

if it is determined by the person identification device that the first person seated in the driver'"'"'s seat and the second person seated in the driver'"'"'s seat are not the same, the driving restriction device restricts driving of the vehicle.

2. The anti-drunk driving apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the driving intention presumption device presumes that the second person seated in the driver'"'"'s seat has an intention to drive when the transmission of the vehicle is not in a park position or in a neutral position.

3. The anti-drunk driving apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle speed sensor which measures the speed of the vehicle, wherein

the driving intention presumption device presumes that the second person seated in the driver'"'"'s seat has an intention to drive when the speed of the vehicle measured by the vehicle speed sensor is equal to or more than a predetermined value.