BIOMETRIC AUTHENTICATION FOR CONNECTED VEHICLES INCLUDING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

• US 20180365400A1
• Filed: 09/15/2017
• Published: 12/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2017
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Car1st Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Car1st Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Lopez-Hinojosa, Brennan T., Lopez, Kermit D.
• Application Number:
  US15/705,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20180365400A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0035 Sun visors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/252 Fingerprint recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/255 Eye recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/257 Voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/08 Interaction between the driver and the control system
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• 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 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/12 Fingerprints or palmprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

A biometric authorization apparatus and method for a vehicle. A visor is connected to an interior cabin of a vehicle, and a biometric authentication interface is associated with the visor. The biometric authentication interface includes one or more biometric readers for scanning the biometric identifier(s) provided by a user. The biometric authentication interface facilitates analysis and processing of data associated with the biometric identifier(s) for use in authorizing the user with respect to the vehicle and optionally to also access an electronic system associated with the vehicle. The vehicle can be, for example, an autonomous vehicle and the user may be a passenger of the autonomous vehicle or in the case of a connected vehicle, a driver or a passenger. In some situations, the vehicle may be a rideshare vehicle and the user may be authorized (or not) for a rideshare trip in the vehicle.

Claims

1. A biometric authorization apparatus for a vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

a visor connected to an interior cabin of a vehicle having a vehicle controller; and

a biometric authentication interface associated with said visor, wherein said biometric authentication interface comprises a sensor coupled to said vehicle controller, said sensor comprising at least one biometric reader for scanning at least one biometric identifier provided by a user, wherein said biometric authentication interface facilitates analysis and processing of data associated with said at least one biometric identifier for use in authorizing said user with respect to said vehicle and/or to access an electronic system associated with said vehicle, wherein said electronic system includes said vehicle controller.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said biometric authentication interface is integrated with said visor and said visor comprises a client device including said biometric authentication interface, and wherein said vehicle controller is associated with at least one auxiliary component, said at least one auxiliary component including a GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) communications unit for providing GPS data indicative of a location of said vehicle, wherein said GPS data is utilized in association with said data associated with said at least one biometric for said authorizing said user.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said biometric authentication interface includes a display unit that functions both as said biometric reader and as a display for graphically displaying an interactive GUI (Graphical User Interface) that displays data for said user, wherein said display unit further comprises a touchscreen display that provides said interactive GUI and wherein said interactive GUI displays said data for said user in at least two display areas of said display unit, wherein said interactive GUI graphically displays graphical icons for inputting at least one biometric identifier from said user, said display unit integrating both said interactive GUI and said biometric authentication interface.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said display unit comprises an organic light emitting diode (OLED).

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said display unit comprises a flexible display.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said display unit comprises a 3D (3-dimensional) display.

7. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said display unit comprises an e-ink display.

8. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said display unit comprises a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD).

9. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said vehicle comprises an autonomous vehicle and at least one biometric reader comprises an iris scanner.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said at least one biometric reader further comprises a facial recognition apparatus comprising at least one camera and wherein said apparatus further comprises a PAN (Personal Area Network) associated with said vehicle, wherein said PAN communicates wirelessly with a processor that in turn communicates with said vehicle controller and wherein said electronic system associated with said vehicle comprises said PAN.

11. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a PAN (Personal Area Network) associated with said vehicle, wherein said PAN communicates wirelessly with a processor that in turn communicates with said vehicle controller and wherein said electronic system associated with said vehicle includes said PAN.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said iris scanner further comprises at least one infrared light emitting diode and an IR (Infrared) camera.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said PAN comprises a PAN based on induction wireless technology and wherein said at least one biometric reader further comprises a voice recognition device.

14. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said user comprises a driver of said vehicle and wherein said biometric authentication interface comprises a GUI (Graphical User Interface) and functions as both a touch screen user interface and a biometric sensor comprising said at least one biometric reader.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said user comprises a passenger of said vehicle and wherein said biometric authentication interface comprises a GUI (Graphical User Interface) and functions as both a touch screen user interface and a biometric sensor comprising said at least one biometric reader.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said PAN comprises an in-vehicle PAN configured as a UWB (Ultra-Wideband) network that transmits data via baseband pulses directly applied to an antenna located in said vehicle.

17. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said biometric authentication interface facilitates said analysis and said processing of said data associated with said at least one biometric user utilizing ML (Machine Learning) for use in said authorizing said user with respect to said vehicle and/or to access said electronic system associated with said vehicle, wherein said ML learning comprising an ML learning algorithm that constructs a rule set to predict a result based on values with respect to a number of features and wherein a series of input patterns is provided to said ML learning algorithm along with a desired output.

18. A biometric authorization apparatus for a rideshare application, said apparatus comprising:

a biometric authentication interface connected to an interior cabin of a vehicle, wherein said biometric authentication interface comprises at least one biometric reader for scanning at least one biometric identifier provided by a user, wherein said biometric authentication interface facilitates analysis and processing of data associated with said at least one biometric identifier for use in authorizing said user for a rideshare trip in said vehicle and access to an electronic system associated with said vehicle during said rideshare trip, wherein said biometric authentication interface is associated with said rideshare application, wherein said rideshare application comprises a computer program downloadable to a GPS-enabled mobile device associated with said user and which runs on a processor associated with said GPS-enabled mobile device and wherein said rideshare application communicates with said biometric authentication interface and facilitates said analysis and said processing of said data associated with said at least one biometric identifier for use in said authorizing said user for said rideshare trip and wherein said rideshare application links said user to an SPO (Service Provider Organization) comprising a ride share entity.

19. A biometric authorization method for a vehicle, said method comprising:

associating a biometric authentication interface with a visor connectable to an interior cabin of a vehicle having a vehicle controller; and

scanning at least one biometric identifier provided by a user through at least one biometric reader of said biometric authentication interface, wherein said biometric authentication interface comprises a sensor coupled to said vehicle controller, said sensor comprising said at least one biometric reader for said scanning of at least one biometric identifier provided by said user, wherein said biometric authentication interface facilitates analysis and processing of data associated with said at least one biometric identifier for use in authorizing said user with respect to said vehicle and/or to access an electronic system associated with said vehicle, wherein said electronic system includes said vehicle controller.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein:

said biometric authentication interface is integrated with said visor and said visor comprises a client device including said biometric authentication interface, and wherein said vehicle controller is associated with at least one auxiliary component, said at least one auxiliary component including a GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) communications unit for providing GPS data indicative of a location of said vehicle, wherein said GPS data is utilized in association with said data associated with said at least one biometric for said authorizing said user;

wherein said biometric authentication interface includes a display unit comprising a flexible display that functions both as said biometric reader and as a display for graphically displaying an interactive GUI (Graphical User Interface) that displays data for said user, wherein said display unit further comprises a touchscreen display that provides said interactive GUI and wherein said interactive GUI displays said data for said user in at least two display areas of said display unit, wherein said interactive GUI graphically displays graphical icons for inputting at least one biometric identifier from said user, said display unit integrating both said interactive GUI and said biometric authentication interface; and

wherein said vehicle comprises a PAN (Personal Area Network) associated with said vehicle, wherein said PAN communicates wirelessly with a processor that in turn communicates with said vehicle controller and wherein said electronic system associated with said vehicle includes said PAN.